Pickleball and Saunas Planned for $100M River Oaks Condos

3 March 2026

A $100 million condo tower planned for River Oaks is testing whether Houston’s luxury buyers want marble countertops and skyline views to come with red-light therapy, hydrotherapy and a competitive pickleball game downstairs.

Ace and Ivy, an 11-story, 400,000-square-foot mixed-use project slated for 3100 West Alabama Street, will combine 31 high-end condos with a 45,000-square-foot indoor pickleball club and roughly 10,000 square feet of wellness-focused retail, the Houston Chronicle first reported. Condos will start at $2.8 million, with units ranging from 2,500 square feet to 6,500 square feet, including three penthouses.

The project is the first for Houston-based Everlight Group, led by Winson Ho, who said the idea grew out of his own search for an indoor pickleball facility near his River Oaks home. What began as a plan for a 15-court club evolved into a residential concept centered on a built-in community of players and health-minded owners, according to the outlet.

Douglas Elliman’s Mark Menendez will lead marketing, with a sales gallery expected to open this fall. Groundbreaking is targeted for spring 2027, with completion in 2028.

Ace and Ivy enters an increasingly competitive luxury condo pipeline stretching from The Woodlands to Uptown, as developers stack amenities to lure a relatively small pool of high-end buyers. Last year, $182.3 million in mid-rise and high-rise condos traded across the Houston metro, an 8 percent increase, year-over-year, according to Houston Association of Realtors data.

To differentiate the project, Everlight tapped San Antonio-based architecture firm Lake Flato, known for designs emphasizing natural light and access to the outdoors, according to the publication. Each condo will include a private sauna, steam room and red-light therapy installation, along with both an open-air balcony and an enclosed, climate-controlled sunroom intended to support circadian rhythm and fresh-air access. Penthouses will add expanded red-light features and hot-and-cold contrast therapy.

Shared amenities will include hydrotherapy and meditation rooms, a fitness center with yoga studio, pool deck, garden, mahjong parlor and a lounge with catering kitchen. While the pickleball club will be open to the public, residents will receive founder level memberships with priority court access, according to the publication. Cushioned courts, specialized lighting and acoustic treatments will be designed to soften joint impact and noise.

— Eric Weilbacher